Three Raider runners competed in the state championship held in Anchorage this weekend.

Eighteen cross-country teams participated, and they came from Barrow, Seward, and everywhere in between. The race pits runners from Division 1, 2, and 3A schools against each other on a 5,000-meter course.

Freshman Kiana Lopez represented the Lady Raiders in the snowy and muddy race. She finished 74th out of 112 runners, with a time of 25 minutes and 3 seconds.

Two members from the boys’ team also competed in the state meet. Sophomore Phillip Kuckuck came in 92nd out of 122 runners, with a time of 20 minutes and 20 seconds. Freshman Ross Enlow finished right up behind him with a time of 20 minutes and 23 seconds.

The Raider Cross Country team is particularly young. This is the first time any of those three runners had gone to the state championships. According to Coach David Gibson, these students should “come back next year with even higher expectations” and they should “be more prepared as they got their first state race under their belts.”

The state meet concludes the Raider cross-country season.